Getting your walls ready for wallpaper.

GETTING YOUR WALLS READY

Before getting to the fun part-- actually hanging your wall-coverings -- it is very important to properly prepare the walls. Time spent now for proper surface preparation will make your job easier and help insure satisfactory results that will look beautiful for years to come.

See the following directions for the type of surface situations you have. Note that there are many different sizes, primer/sealers and patching materials available. Check the instructions included with your wallcovering selection for the manufacturer's recommendations or ask your retailer's advice if you have any questions. Always read the instructions on the product's label before using. Note: before beginning any surface preparation, remove all switch plates, outlet plates or other wall fixtures.

TOP OF PAGE

SURFACE PREPARATION

Primer/Sealer: Oil or acrylic based coating designed for use under wallcovering to seal porous surfaces prior to hanging. A wallcovering primer/sealer helps the wallcovering adhere by reducing the wall's capacity to absorb moisture from the paste. A pigmented primer/sealer also helps prevent "show through" when a lightweight or partially transparent wallcovering is hung over a painted surface. Acrylic primer/sealers are water-soluble. This makes for easier application and clean up. Oil and acrylic primer/sealers used under wallcovering normally require a minimum of two to four hours drying time before hanging your wallcovering. Using a primer/sealer is a necessity on almost every wallcovering project.

Sizing: Sizing is an old industry method that is still occasionally used to prepare walls for wallcovering. Since there are various types of sizing products and certain circumstances where you use sizing. Consult your retailer for the proper product and method. The new, pre-mixed primer/sealers made specifically for use under wallcovering have almost eliminated the use of other sizing products.

TOP OF PAGE

UPAINTED WALLS

Plaster Walls: New plaster walls should be allowed to dry thoroughly before preparing them for hanging wallcoverings. At least 30 days are necessary for fresh plaster to cure. Be sure the lime and alkali in new plaster is neutralized by applying the proper solution. (Ask your retailer's advice.) Once the new plaster has cured, prime with the primer/sealer made to be used under wallcovering.

Drywall (Plasterboard): If not already done, tape and repair joints with seam tape and countersink nail heads. Fill and coat taped joints and nail heads with joint compound. Sand flat. Prime with the proper primer/sealer, made for use under wallcovering. If drywall is not primed, it can be damaged later when wallcovering is removed. Allow proper drying time so that primer/sealer will cure thoroughly before hanging wallcovering.

TOP OF PAGE

PAINTED WALLS

First, remove any peeling with a scraper and sand the surface. Apply a patching compound such as spackle to those areas and to any other cracks or nail holes. Wash any greasy or dirty areas. Use a primer/sealer on all patched areas. Walls, which have been painted with a flat oil-based paint need only to be patched, cleaned and lightly sanded. Wallcovering will not adhere permanently to a surface painted with an inexpensive latex or oil-based paint. Therefore, it is always advisable to apply a primer/sealer to the entire wall if you have any doubt about the type or quality of the paint or any questions regarding the surface condition.

Glossy or semi-glossy surfaces are too slick for wallcoverings to properly adhere. To "dull" them use one of the available deglossers or wash with an extra strong Tri-Sodium Phosphate solution or a soap and ammonia solution and thoroughly rinse. Such surfaces can also be sanded to remove the gloss. Also recommended is one of the new primer/sealers specifically made for use under wallcovering hung over glossy surfaces.

TOP OF PAGE

PLANNING

It is important to carefully plan where you will start and where the almost inevitable mismatch will fall. This planning will help you avoid unnecessary wastage and help provide aesthetically pleasing results. In fact, after reading the following guidelines, you may wish to actually mark with a pencil where each strip will be hung. There are two factors involved in this planning the pattern of the wallcovering you have selected and the architectural layout of your room.

Planning for a Room

Centering

You must choose the one place in your room where a partial strip will butt against a full strip resulting in a pattern mismatch (unless your pattern is a fairly neutral, random one or if you are hanging a grasscloth or string wallcovering). The place selected should be as inconspicuous as possible. For instance, an inconspicuous corner, beside or behind a door, or over a window with only a short section of wall above.

If your room happens to have a natural "breaking place" such as a floor-to-ceiling doorway or bookcase, or a fireplace with bricks or stone extending all the way to the ceiling, you can begin hanging on one side and end at the other and thus avoid any pattern mismatch. If you are hanging a neutral or random pattern wallcovering, a good place to begin is alongside a door or window or in a corner. However, if your pattern is relatively complex, you should also take into consideration the focal point of your room. Normally this will be the wall facing the entryway or a wall with a fireplace or major windows. In this situation, plan your hanging so that the strips begin in the center (of the focal wall, between the two windows, over the fireplace) and spread evenly to the left and right to create an overall symmetrical arrangement. To do this, center a plumb line on the wall. Use this line and either center the first strip over it or adjoin two strips on either side of the line. (This alternative will allow you to avoid having strips of less than six inches at the two corners.) Once you have decided where your focal point should be and where you want your mismatch to occur, carefully mark with a pencil where each strip should be hung. Double check to make sure your measurements are correct.

Planning for an Accent Wall

If you are simply hanging one wall, find the center; using the same guidelines as above, mark the center of the wall. Either center a strip on that line or butt two strips alongside it. Again, your choice will depend on how much wall space will be left for the two corner strips (see above). If you have questions regarding where to start your hanging or where your mismatch should be, take a detailed layout of your room to your retailer. Once you have selected your wallcovering, he can help you plan your project.

It is essential that your wallcovering be hung straight; but most homes have walls at least slightly out of alignment. Therefore, you must start off with a truly vertical plumb line. In fact, you may need to make several plumb lines as you go along. There are two methods you can use.

After deciding where to begin your hanging, the best method is to line up a carpenter's level or a straightedge/level sometimes called a "bubblestick" and lightly draw a straight vertical line with a pencil. (Always use a pencil; never any type of ink or marking pen. Ink might bleed through the wallcovering after it is hung.) Line up your first strip with this line. If you are starting at a corner, make your plumb line half an inch less than the width of your wallcovering from the comer. That way your wallcovering will overlap on the adjoining wall by about half an inch and can be covered by your final strip. An alternative is to tack a chalked weighted string at the ceiling. Hold the string taut at the bottom and snap against the wall. The resulting line should be vertical.

TOP OF PAGE

BOOKING/ACTIVATING THE PASTE

Always read the manufacturers instructions as to the temperature of the water you dip your wallpaper into. Some recommend cold other room temperature. After cutting your strip roll the paper loosely so that the paste side is outside (just the opposite of how it was rolled by the manufacturer) dip it into the water and make sure it is wetted thoroughly.

Pull the roll onto a table fold the top of the strip about two thirds of the way down allowing paste to rest against paste. Now pull the remainder of the strip up to meet the piece you just folded over. At this point you should have pattern side showing and all pasted surface should be against pasted surface. Now roll the strip loosely (this keeps the edges together so they will not dry out.

Allow three to five minutes for the booked strip to "relax" and the paste to activate before hanging.

TOP OF PAGE

THE FIRST STRIP

Carry the booked strip to the wall, step up to the ceiling, and unfold the top portion of your strip. Press the upper portion against the wall so that the two inches you have allowed for trimming overlap onto the ceiling. Line up the edge of the strip with the plumb line. Wrap the half-inch overlap onto the adjoining wall.

Give this upper portion of the strip a couple of horizontal strokes at the ceiling line to force it flat against the top of the wall. Use downward strokes as illustrated to smooth down the upper portion of the strip. Snip a diagonal cut at the ceiling corner to avoid wrinkling and make it easier to wrap the half inch overlap around the corner. Step down from the ladder and slide the middle section of the strip into position using the palms of your hands. Always avoid pulling on or at the edges of the wallcovering. Check for alignment with the plumb line, then smooth with downward strokes.

Unfold the remainder of the strip and smooth down the bottom portion making sure the strip is aligned with the plumb line. Press the overlap into the corner at the baseboard and, as at the top, make a diagonal cut to avoid wrinkling and make it easier to wrap the half-inch overlap around the comer.

When you are sure the strip is positioned evenly with the plumb line, smooth again over the entire surface of the strip. Remove any air bubbles and be sure the half-inch overlap is secured into and around the comer of the wall. If necessary, gently lift the bottom of the strip away from the wall to free

the wallcovering of any bubbles or wrinkles.

Now, using your wall scraper or broad knife as a guide, trim at the ceiling and the baseboard with your razor knife. Hold your scraper or broad knife tightly and place between the wall and the razor knife. Move the scraper along the wall but keep the blade of the razor knife in contact with the wall. This will help provide a straight, even cut. Replace blades after every strip.

Rinse wallcovering thoroughly to remove any excess adhesive. Be sure to also rinse any adhesive off the ceiling and baseboard. Change your rinse water frequently and use a good quality natural or synthetic sponge.

For this explanation, it has been assumed that you have booked the strip and have started your hanging at a corner.

TOP OF PAGE

THE SECOND STRIP

Take your second booked sheet to the wall, unfold the upper portion and slide slowly into place. Adjust the strip carefully to align the pattern to the strip already on the wall. Butt the edges of the two strips together tightly but do not overlap. Use the palms of your hands to maneuver the second strip into position. Once it is in position with the pattern properly matched and the edges tightly butted together, use your smoothing brush as on the first strip. Press the strip firmly onto the wall at the ceiling line and smooth out any air bubbles. Step down from your ladder and hang the remaining strip, carefully lining up with the strip already on the wall, and smoothing with your brush.

Trim at the ceiling and baseboard. Smooth out once more. Rinse. Make sure you remove all excess paste not only from the wallcovering and from the ceiling and baseboard. Change your rinse water after every two or three strips. Continue hanging your strips in this manner

After hanging every three or four strips, go back and roll the seams with your seam roller. Keep the roller clean of paste and wipe off any that might squeeze out from between the seams. Do not press too hard as this can create stretching/shrinkage problems by forcing out all the adhesive along the edges. Never use a seam roller on flocked or embossed wallcovering.

TOP OF PAGE

HANGING INSIDE CORNERS

When you come to an inside corner, measure the distance from the edge of the last strip hung to the corner. Add one half-inch to this measurement. Mark this measurement the length of your next strip and cut it saving the leftover piece. Now hang the first strip, slitting it diagonally at the ceiling and baseboard for ease of handling where it goes around the corner.

Now measure the remaining piece and drop a plumb line this distance from the comer. Hang your remaining piece using your new plumb line as a guide. This strip will overlap the half-inch portion of the preceding piece that wrapped around the corner. If you are hanging a vinyl wallcovering be sure to secure this overlap in the corner with vinyl-to-vinyl adhesive. Rinse off any excess adhesive immediately.

TOP OF PAGE

HANGING OUTSIDE CORNERS

Unless adjoining walls to an outside comer are badly out of line, the most practical way to proceed when you come to the comer is to wrap the strip you are hanging around the corner (snip the two inch overhang at ceiling and baseboard so it will be easy to wrap the strip around the new wall).

For this reason, when you know you will be hanging around an outside comer you should start on the longer wall. This way any pattern drop at the ceiling line caused by an imperfect corner will be on the shorter wall and inconspicuous.

If you feel that the adjoining walls are too badly out of line to simply wrap the strip around the comer, follow the procedure shown above for inside comers. However, add one inch (rather than half an inch) for the wrap-around and add one half inch to the measurement needed for your new plumb line.

One very important thing to remember when hanging around outside corners is to eliminate any trapped air at the corner. To do this, simply be sure that when you wrap around the corner edge you smooth the wallcovering strip tight.

TOP OF PAGE

HANGING AROUND WINDOWS & DOORS

Do not try to pre-cut a strip of wallcovering to fit around a door or window. Instead, hang right over the edge when you come to a door or window. Cut away most of the excess wallcovering and then make diagonal cuts with your scissors to the edges of the window or door frame. Use your scraper and razor knife to trim around the window or door. Continue to match the pattern without interruption above doors and windows and below windows by using matching sections from full-width strips. (For these short strips you can often use the excess wallcovering created when cutting your full strips.) Hang these short strips carefully making sure they remain truly vertical. Otherwise your next full length strip may not line up properly. Note: You can use this same technique for hanging around fireplaces, built-in bookcases or other cabinets.

TOP OF PAGE